Who's Who: Ahmed Al-Sabban, president of the Saudi Arabian Fencing Federation

Ahmed Al-Sabban
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Updated 24 March 2021
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Who's Who: Ahmed Al-Sabban, president of the Saudi Arabian Fencing Federation

Ahmed Al-Sabban has been the president of the Saudi Arabian Fencing Federation since 2017.
As a young boy raised in Taif, Al-Sabban stumbled upon fencing by chance when a trainer at the Air Forces Sports Venue (where his father worked) asked him to give it a shot. While preparing for his first session, he found the mask and sword at his home as he discovered his father was also a fencer.
In 1984, he set a goal to become part of the Kingdom’s national team and make it proud.
Al-Sabban fulfilled his dream in 1987 when he played his first match with the national team. In 1989, he was dubbed the “youngest player” in the national team.
His shift into motorsports came from his love for the sport by riding with former Saudi motorsport champion Mamdouh Khayat in 1988. Three years later, a friend convinced him to try rallying, along with his father who pushed him to quit fencing and focus on motorsports in 1997. He continued rallying until 2016.
Al-Sabban obtained a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a diploma in marketing from the American University of Beirut in 1998.
In 2014, he joined the Saudi Arabian Fencing Federation as a member of its board of directors. Two years later, he was promoted to vice president, and in 2017 he became its president.
The sportsman learned teamwork and leadership skills through motorsports, while fencing helped him how to become a champion.
His favorite advice to budding sportsmen is to set a goal and a long-term strategy to achieve it.

 


KSrelief, UN highlight key goals in 2026 humanitarian plan 

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KSrelief, UN highlight key goals in 2026 humanitarian plan 

  • Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah meets UN Yemen coordinator for aid reviews
  • German lawmakers praise KSrelief for humanitarian projects globally

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s aid agency KSrelief held a briefing session at its headquarters in Riyadh on the UN’s 2026 Global Humanitarian Overview, which is a diagnosis of the support needed by communities in crisis across the world. 

The session was organized in cooperation with the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Monday. 

The session included senior officials from KSrelief and the UN, as well as representatives from Saudi government agencies and nonprofit organizations. 

The participants discussed mechanisms for preparing the 2026 Global Humanitarian Overview and highlighted key differences from previous years.

The participants also addressed the need for funding in crisis-hit areas including Yemen, Sudan, Gaza, the Syrian Arab Republic, and Afghanistan.

These measures aim to strengthen focus on critical priorities, enhance the efficiency of humanitarian responses, support localization efforts, and promote work based on humanitarian principles.

Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, supervisor-general of KSrelief, met with UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen Julien Harneis in Riyadh.

During the meeting, they discussed relief and humanitarian affairs, as well as updates on projects in Yemen. Harneis praised the efforts provided by the Kingdom through KSrelief to support communities in Yemen. 

Separately, Al-Rabeeah also held a meeting with Sheikh Mohammed Belal, managing director of the UN Common Fund for Commodities, to discuss relief issues. 

Belal commended Saudi Arabia for assisting those affected around the world, highlighted the center’s strong international reputation. 

Meanwhile, a delegation from Germany’s parliament, headed by Alexander Radwan, a member of the nation’s foreign affairs committee, visited KSrelief’s headquarters in Riyadh.

During the visit, the German lawmakers met with several KSrelief officials to discuss relief efforts.

The German officials praised KSrelief for planning and implementing relief projects worldwide, and highlighted the agency’s reputation globally in the field.